Rotary power apparatus



Aug; 3,1937. J. F. SKINNER v ROTARY POWER APPARATUS Filed Nov. 16, 1955 5 SheetsSheet 1 INVENTOR JOHN F.SK\NNER A'TTORNEYS J. F. SKINNER 2,088,818

ROTARY POWER APPARATUS Filed Nov. 16, 1935 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 JOHN F. SKINNER 7 A TTORNEY Mmmm 1 1937- J.- F. SKINNER ROTARY POWER APPARATUS Filed. Nov. 1.6, 1955 3 Sheets-Sheec 3 A TTORNE m if Patented Aug. 3, 1937 umrso STATES PATENT OFFICE as Journaled 2,088,818 ROTARY POWER APPARATUS mm r. Skinner, Flint, ma. Application November 16, 1935, Serial No. 50,114

sclaims.

This invention relates to rotary power apparatus and particularly to apparatus employing a fluid medium to transmit a torque or rotation from a driving member to a driven member.

I An object of the invention is to centriiugally l0, and a lower portion ll, having the approxidischarge a liquid in numerous jets from a mate form 01' an inverted imstro-coner The mid rapidly revolving driving member, and to impel and lower portions are preferably-integral, and a driven member by impact oi" such jets. the upper portion is bolted to v the mid portion, Another object is to vary the aggregate impact as indicated at Ha. Interiorly conforming to force of the jets to regulate the power applied said mid portion and seating on a -shoulder l2 10 to the drivenmember. formed at the juncture'oi the mid and lower por- Further objects are to' employ in the above tions, is an impact ring ll, rigidly attached-to connection, a relatively heavy liquid, as mercury, said shoulder by bolts I or the like. This ring capable oi exercising a powerful centrifugal force, projects into the casing above and in close prox- 1 and to so circulate said liquid as to minimize its imity to the nozzle outlets, as best appears in required quantity. Fig. 2. and is formed with a suitable number of These and various other objects the invention upward passages it, of considerably greaterattains by the construction hereinafter described, capacity than the nozzles, and providing walls to and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, receive the impact of mercury discharged from wherein: the nozzles, the angular relation 0! these walls Fig. 1 is a view in side elevation ofanapparatus to the nozzles being such as to derive a maximum 20 exemplifying the invention. rotary impulse from the impact.

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view oi. the appawithin the upper portion or the casing, is ratus, taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1. mounted a stationary member comprising upper Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional view, taken on and lower parts It and i1 rigidly connected by 25 the line 3-4 of Fig. 2. 1 bolts It. The part it substantially conforms in Fig. 4 is a cross section taken on the line 4-4 shape to the portion 9 of the casing, and is spaced of Fig. 2, showing a stationary portion of the slightly from such portion. The parts II and I1 apparatus. jointly form a circular series 0! passages ll sep- Fig. 5 is a cross sectional view 0! an impact arated by gradually curved walls I90. integrally 30 ring, taken on the line 5- of Fig. 3. rising from the member l1, said passages having Fig. 8 is a horizontal cross section of the lower inlet ends in close proximity to the impact ring portion 0! the machine, taken on the line 8-4 of and registered rotatively withthe outlet ends 0! Fig. 2. a the passages It. The passages I! curve ,upwardly In these views, the reference character I desand inwardly and are connected to a central ignates a vertically mounted, open-topped, rochamber 20 in the part l1. Thus the mercury 4 tary cylindrical receiver tor a drive-transmitting upwardly discharging from the impact ring is liquid Ia, such as mercury. At a suitable elevareceived by the passages It and delivered theretion above its bottom 2, the receiver is formed from to the central chamber 20 from which it is with a circular series of outlets 3, and rigidly gravity-returned to the receiverl underlying said 40 carries a set of similar nozzles l, in individual chamber. A bearing 2| integrally depending communication with said outlets, extending outfrom the part II encircles and journals the upper wardly and upwardly from the receiver in an end portion of the receiver, and any access of inverted irustro-conical formation. Attachment mercury to the bearing is prevented by a sheet of the nozzles to the receiver is effected by a col metal guard sleeve 22 carried by the'part l1 and 45 iar I, embracing the receiver and welded or otherdepending toa point inthe receiver, adjacent to wise rigidly attached thereto, the nozzles being theoutlets 3. Said sleeve has the further eflect threaded into said collar, and communication of affording a body of mercury in'the receiver between the nozzles and outlets being established a stationary supporting wall so that rotation of by passages 6 in the collar individually aligned the receiver will not be materially imparted to 50 with the nozzles. V coaxially with the receiver, is a stub shaft 1 journaled in a suitable support 8, fixed beneath the apparatus.

coaxially with the described driv- Projecting from the bottom 2,

ing member, isa driven member forming a casing enclosing the driving member. and comprising an approximately hemispherical upper portion 9, an approximately cylindrical mid portion such body except in proximity to or below the outlets S. In the absence of such sleeve, a centrifugal iorce would be so exerted on the mercury as to induce its upward travel against the receiver wall.

To support the member It, I! and hold it stationary, a pin 23 projects integrally upward from the part I, in vertical alignment with the stub shaft 1, and is clamped or otherwise rigidly seli cured to a suitable support 2|, fixed above the sapp ratus.

member, engaging the pin 23 and shaft 1 respec- .To Journal the driven member coaxially with the driving member, a pair of upper and lower bearings "and 28 are formed upon the driven end of a co'ntrol stem 3| rising axially through" the: receiver I, part II, pin 23, and support It, and connected above said support to a bell crank lever Ii, actuable by a controlrodl'la to raise or lower the valve. Preferably the valve 28 consists of a resilient, split, sheet-metal ring which is inserted under some compression in the receiver and consequently is self-expanding to maintain a sealing fit with the receiver. A vertical's'pllne "a interiorly secured-to the receiver wall engages between the ends of said ring to assure its rotation in unison with the receiver, while allowing it to freely slide upand down. The lower portion of the stem II is forked to engage opposite points of said valve, its forks a being sufficiently resilient to allow the described spring action of the valve. k

Under certain abnormal conditions of operation, mercury discharged by the nozzles 4 may fail to travel through theintended circuit effecting its return to the receiver. If, for example, the outlets 3 are open upon an initial application of power to the apparatus, the mercury discharging from the nomies will lack momentum to carryit through the 1 II, It, and 20, until rotation reaches a suitable velocity.

. such conditions mercury'will descend from the noule outlets and accumulate in the lower portion of the casing. Any such accumulation will rest upon an annular plate 32 fitted between the lower portion of the casing and the collar 5, an annular packing ring Ila being arranged beneath said plate to assure against any downward escape of mercury. -When the driven member acquires an adequate speed, such accumulation will be centrifugaily delivered to the impact ring and thence to the receiver together with the normally flowing mercury. In order that such mercury may exercise a driving effect, in its return to the receiver, the lower portion of the easing is preferably interiorly formed with a series of ribs 31, substantially coextensive with the nosales, and compelling upward and outward travel of the mercury in planes radial to the axis of the machine. w

- Power fro any desired source is applied to the driving mem r, there being illustrated an electric motor 34 effective upon the driving member through a belt II engaging a pulley It fixed on the stub shaft 1.

In the operation of the described apparatus, upon initial energization of the motor 14, the valve 29 is preferably closed. When the driving member has been brought up to a suitable speed, said valve is opened either entirely or partially.

Under depending on the amount of power which it is desired to, transmit to the driven .member.

Centrifugal force will set up a flow of mercury from the receiver outwardly through the nozzles 4, and will induce a forceful discharge of the mercury from the outer ends of the nozzles, in a direction approximately tangent to the orbit of such ends. The mounting of the nozzles is such,

Jointly determined by the adjustment of the valve 29 and by the load on the driven member.

The spent mercury in the passages I 8 and II posed by centrifugal force, since said passages are formed in a stationary portion of the apparatus.

The apparatus provides a type of drive between a driving and driven member that permits of simple, easy, and complete control of the magnitude of the power transmitted, and hence of the speed of the driven member. The drive furthermore is such that no damage may be done by sudden variations of load, suited to handling a load which is subject to considerableand sudden variations.

The invention is presented as including all such modifications and scope of the following claims.

What I claim is:

1. A rotary power apparatus comprising driving and driven members rotative about a subbeing returned through stantially vertical axis, a circular series of impact blades carried by the driven member and centered substantially at said axis, a cylindrical liquid receiver carried by and rotative with the driving member and centered substantially at said axis, a stationary sleeve within said receiver shielding the receiver contents from the driving efi'ect of the receiver, a plurality of nozzles member, and of a speed to the receiver, is not op..

the mercury on the walls and is particularly changes as come within the outwardly extending upon the driving member from the receiver and centrifugally withdrawing the liquid from the receiver, responsive to rotation of the driving member, and directing the liquid from their outer ends against said, blades, and means for returning the liquid from the blades to the receiver.

2. A rotary power apparatus comprising driving and driven members rotative about a sub-. stantially vertical axis, the driven member form'- ing a casing and the the lower portion of such casing, a stationary driving member occupying member occupying the upper portion of the casing, a plurality of impact blades interiorly carried by the driven member between the driving and stationary members, a liquid receiver within the casing centered substantially at said axis. and means carried by the driving member for receiving liquid from the receiver and delivering it centrifugally against said blades, the stationary ing the liquid from the blades to the receiver.

3. In a rotary power apparatus as set forth in claim 2, said receiver being carried by and rotative with the driving member, a sleeve carried by and held from rotation by the stationary mem her and depending within the receiver to shield the receiver contents from the driving effect of the receiver. c 4. A rotary Power apparatus asset forth in ,6 member being formed with passages for return-' claim 2, said receiver being carried by and rotative with the driving member, and having an upper end portion journaied in the stationary meiicher.

5. A rotary power appexatus comprising driv inn and driven members rotative about a common axis, the driven member forming a casing substantially enclosing the circular series of impact blades carried by and 10 within the driven member and centered substantially at said axis, nozzles carried by a plurality the driving member at one driving member, a

of liquid delivery 

